The Queen's Rider
by Annaya Kiera
Summary: Having lost her husband to thread, Ailsa, daughter of Southern Boll Holder, must now marry a man she does not know and can never trust. Brought to Benden Weyr for a very interesting hatching, she meets her future husband. What will happen though when the thoughts of one of these unique newly hatched dragons calls to her? Not completely to cannon, some things altered


Ailsa stood tensely beside her brother, Cordan, as they waited for the Benden dragon to come collect them. They were going to the hatching of the eggs that had been found in cold storage* amid the sand dun's of Landing. Usually a hatching would be a happy event, if not for the fact that her father, Lord Holder of Southern Boll Hold, was giving her as a wife to Sigomal of Bitra Hold. Her brother was to bring her to the hatching at Benden so that he could see if she was acceptable. From all Ailsa had heard of the Lord Holder, he was a cold man who already had two children more than halfway to their majority who were none too happy that their father was looking for a new wife who might put their inheritance of the hold in jeopardy.

The bronze popped into sight over the heights of the hold and came gliding down to the field where they stood. The blue Fort Weyr watch dragon bugled a greeting to the bronze, who responded with a greeting of his own. Cordan gripped Ailsa arm tightly as the dragon came to land, as if he thought that she would run; weather that be from fear of the dragon or of her upcoming nuptials, Ailsa was not sure of her brothers thoughts. He had become distant from her some years ago when she had decided to marry a traveling performer and leave her hold.

The life of the holdless travelers had been much easier before thread started to fall again. When that cataclysm happened it put an end to most traveling across Pern, and her new husband's family had not been adjusting well to the change. They had settled down in Ruatha for a time, but his wandering feet got the better of him and he took a job helping a supply train travel to Tillek. An unexpected thread attack had caught them out in the open halfway to their destination, or so she'd been told by the Fort dragonrider who came to give the bad news. Without any means of supporting herself or the child growing within her she had been forced to return home to Southern Boll Hold and her family.

Ailsa's slim frame had not been up to the task of bearing twins, and they had been born before their time and dead, her father had told her. That grief had been the final straw for her and Ailsa, weak of mind and heart, had given in to her father's demands that she marry a man of good repute, unlike her last husband her father would always sneer at the mention of such a union and say it was just as well that his children had not survived.

Now Ailsa thought of how much worse her life was going to get as she calmly walked up to the Benden bronze whom she did not recognize. She took his offered had and pulled herself up into the saddle behind him. They waited until Cordan had mounted behind Ailsa and then the bronze rider told them to hand on as his dragon launched itself skyward with one mighty leap.

Having never been near or on a dragon Ailsa had expected herself to be afraid of the huge creature, but she was neither scared of him nor of the great height at which they flew. For one moment, before they entered the nothingness of _between_ Ailsa allowed herself to pretend that it was her dragon she rode and that he would take her away from everything wrong about her life and just love her for who she was, not force her into a role that she would never accept.

The bronze turned his big head and Ailsa thought for a moment that he looked straight at her and that she heard the words, _You'll do_, whisper through her head. But then they were between and Ailsa could not see or hear or even feel the dragon she knew supported her through the black nothingness. Before she could begin to panic though they again popped into existence over Benden Weyr. Looking down on the large bowl below them as they circled down to it Ailsa noted the scurry of activity about the Weyr.

"These are interesting times, are they not, m'lady?" the bronze rider asked, turning a bright smile on her.

"They are indeed, rider," Ailsa said, mustering a smile in return for him. He was not the bringer of her doom and did not deserve her anger.

"It will be interesting to see what colors hatch from the eggs today," he added as he directed his dragon down to the warm sands of the Weyr floor.

"What colors?" Ailsa was confused. "Isn't that always a factor, sir?" Ailsa still did not have a name for him, though she felt she ought to know it.

"From what mother and father tell me these eggs were experimental ones by the first colonists that they never decided to hatch. The notes that were found about them said someone was experimenting with different colors besides the ones we know."

Mother? Father? Ailsa just stopped from smacking herself in the forehead. Of course, he was the son of the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman of Benden.

"If that is the case, then it will be a very interesting hatching indeed, F'lessan," Cordan said, confirming Ailsa's guess. "If you will excuse us though, I think I see Lord Sigomal and we really should pay our respects." Cordan grabbed Ailsa'a arm and pulled her after him so quickly that she was only just able to raise her hand to bid F'lessan goodbye before they disappeared into the crowd.

"Lord Sigomal," Cordan was saying and Ailsa turned to look the man over as he surveyed her in return. The smile that spread across the older man's face was anything but comforting to Ailsa and it took all the self control she had to not back up when he took her chin in his hand and tilted her face more into the morning light.

"Your father said she was only pretty, Cordan, but he did not do such a treasure justice when he told me of her. Yes, she will do very nicely. Tell your father I accept. I shall take her home with me when I leave today," Sigomal was saying.

Today? Now? Ailsa turned her face away to hide her shock. She had not thought her life would change so suddenly as this.

"Umm, well, father said this was only so you could look on her and see if you may want to wed her," Cordan too seemed to be taken aback.

"And I do, boy. So the deal is struck, I shall take her today," Sigomal said irritably.

Before they could argue any further a low humming started. Ailsa looked up and around in surprise. Was that the dragons making that sound?

"It seems the hatching is to begin, we will talk more afterwards," Sigomal said with finality and walked away from them, toward the entrance of the hatching grounds.

"Ailsa," Cordan called and she looked to him. "Let's go sit down now before all the good seats are taken," he held out his hand with a smile almost like the one she remembered from when they were children. The comforting familiarity encouraged her to take him hand and let him lead her into the hatching grounds. She would have this one last flight of childhood fancy before it would all be taken from her by her new husband.

++End Chapter 1++

*The eggs were cryogenically frozen right before the volcano's eruption buried the city

~~~The original concept of the dragon riders of Pern books belongs to Anne and Todd McCaffrey. As does F'lessan and Sigomal. I take no credit for them, though my representation of these characters may be off from the original authors'. Ailsa and Cordan are characters I made up and slipped into this world~~

All comments accepted. Please let me know if I am off on certain points. I am currently re-reading the Pern series but it has been a while since I read the book about the discovery of Landing. Thanks for reading.


End file.
